Fishery and stock status of billfishes exploited from the eastern Arabian sea

Billfishes are a group of highly predatory fishes distributed extensively along the world oceans. In India, the billfish fishery is supported by four genera and following five species: Istiophorus platypterus, Istiompax indica, Makaira nigricans, Xiphias gladius, Tetrapturus audax and T. angustirostis. Mechanised gillnetters contributed major share of their landings.  I. platypteurs was the dominant species in the fishery and T.angustirostis was sporadically landed.  Billfishes along the Indian coast were mainly exploited by mechanised gillnetters followed by other mechanised crafts operating pelagic longlines. The west coast of India recorded 60% of annual billfish landings. The maturity and length range of I. platypterus, I. indica, M. nigricans and X. gladius, the major species in the fishery, were monitored during 2019 and the length at which 50% of the population matured (Lm₅₀) and stock parameters of these four species of billfishes were estimated based on samples collected from major landing centres along the eastern Arabian Sea. Fishery biological observations of billfish species indicated that the stocks in general are healthy, with fairly high spawning stock biomass and are being fished at sustainable levels.